Gambling and Saving

We suggest:

  • Habits of thrift and savings contribute to household financial security, individual well-being, and the health of the economy as a whole.
  • Government policy should encourage these patterns of financial behaviour.

Supporting Research

Banking on the Margins
Start Here
Brian Dijkema, Rhys McKendry
February 22, 2016
Our current payday loan market is failing consumers and society and government regulations alone cannot solve the current situation. Our new report, Banking on the Margins, aims at reforming Canada's payday loan market. In this report, we call for joint efforts between government, banks, credit unions and charities to provide customers with lower rate loans as an alternative to payday loans.
Turning Aces into Assets: Policy Brief
May 28, 2021
Building financial security for all Canadians, but especially for the most vulnerable, is widely recognized as an important policy priority. Governments have a unique opportunity to kick gambling addiction to work for, not against, low-income households.
Turning Aces into Assets
Johanna Lewis, Brian Dijkema
May 28, 2021
Four Options to Help the Government Turn Its Addiction to Gambling Revenue into Assets for the Poor

Explorations

Springing the Debt Trap
Convivium
Peter Stockland, Brian Dijkema
April 11, 2018
This week, Cardus Work and Economics gave municipalities in Ontario data-driven advice about handling new powers over the debt trap that is the payday loan industry. Convivium’s Peter Stockland spoke with program director Brian Dijkema about helping cities help the working poor.
Lending For The Long Term
Convivium
Peter Stockland
February 28, 2017
Publisher Peter Stockland sits down with Work and Economics Program Director Brian Dijkema to talk about Pay Day Loans. Hear what Dijkema told Convivium before his testimony to the Queen’s Park Standing Committee on Social Policy.

Media Coverage

Our Growing Addiction to Gambling Needs Attention
Hamilton Spectator
March 30, 2023
"Gambling, now not only allowed, is encouraged, and heavily marketed," writes guest author Wayne Poole in the Hamilton Spectator. "According to the non-partisan think tank, Cardus, OLG spends 4.5 times as much on marketing to encourage gambling as it does on problem gambling prevention and treatment." Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash
Insider Alleges Ontario Gambling VIP Programs Aim to Stop High-Spenders From Quitting
Toronto Star
November 26, 2022
As VIP programs start offering bonuses or other inducements to encourage Ontario gamblers to spend more, many are raising concerns. Brian Dijkema, vice-president of external affairs at Cardus, tells the Toronto Star, “If gambling is like a drug — and for many people it is — this is effectively a strengthening of the dose.” Photo by Chris Liverani on Unsplash   
Provinces are Hitching Their Financial Fates to Sportsbooks
The Hub
October 18, 2022
"There’s nothing inherently wrong with having a bit of fun with a game of chance, but we’ve moved well beyond putting 20 bucks down on a game on Friday night," Brian Dijkema, Vice-President of External Affairs at Cardus, tells The Hub. "What’s happening is a mass, systemic revenue generation tool that operates on the back of the poor and addicted, and that’s a moral problem."   Photo by Christian Erfurt on Unsplash

What else are we working toward?

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Strong Family Projects Human Dignity Projects Religious Freedom Projects Healthy Community Projects Formative Education Projects Recent Projects
Strong Family Projects Human Dignity Projects Religious Freedom Projects Healthy Community Projects Formative Education Projects Recent Projects
Strong Family Projects Human Dignity Projects Religious Freedom Projects Healthy Community Projects Formative Education Projects Recent Projects
Strong Family Projects Human Dignity Projects Religious Freedom Projects Healthy Community Projects Formative Education Projects Recent Projects
Recent Research
Recent Media Coverage